Guidelines for Waste Collecting Workers Safety In Bangkok Metropolitan Area

Abstract

The objectives of this research were to study waste collecting workers safety
in the Bangkok Metropolitan Area (BMA) and to develop guidelines for working safety of
those workers. The study method was conducted by both quantitative and qualitative
research. In quantitative research, questionnaires were used for collecting data from
370 samples of workers from 50 districts of BMA. In qualitative research, on the other
hand, 12 heads of public cleaning and public park sections and 12 workers from the
same districts were chosen for the focus group so that the total number of this process
were 24 samples. The results of this study showed that the satisfactory level in working
safety of workers as a whole was at medium level ( x = 2.95). When considered by
each item including personal aspects, environmental aspects, and mechanical
equipment of waste collecting vehicle aspects, all of them were at medium level as
well ( x = 3.24, 3.10 and 2.52 respectively). The important and urgent guidelines for
working safety of the waste collecting workers in BMA were as follows: initiate an
annual health checkup project for workers, provide first aid kits for waste collecting
vehicles, provide personal protective equipment to each worker, design standing
spaces on the vehicle for safety, and position waste collection points to safe places to
protect workers from any of road accidents.